Apple’s warranty advertising comes under EU’s microscope

The move follows a fine in Italy over Apple's "misleading" ads over warranties.

European scrutiny of Apple's warranty policies is on the rise. On Monday, Viviane Reding, the European Union's Justice Commissioner, wrote a letter to the EU's 27 members requesting they review whether Apple has properly advertised buyers' rights to a two-year warranty on their products. If the countries find that Apple hasn't given sufficient warranty information to consumers, the company could face additional fines for misleading advertising.

Apple was fined almost €900,000 (US$1.2 million) in December of 2011 for allegedly informing consumers they only had a one-year warranty from Apple, with the option of purchasing AppleCare to extend the warranty. But EU rules state that customers are entitled to a two-year manufacturer warranty by default, leading Apple to post a link to the Italian court's decision on its Italian Apple Store online.

According to a copy of the letter seen by Bloomberg, Reding has requested that the 27 ministers take a careful look at Apple's advertising practices in their countries. "Apple prominently advertised that its products come with a one-year manufacturer warranty but failed to clearly indicate the consumers’ automatic and free-of-cost entitlement to a minimum two-year guarantee under EU law. These are unacceptable marketing practices," Reding wrote.

Apple appears to believe it's not doing anything wrong, however. "Alan Hely, a spokesman for Cupertino, California-based Apple in London, declined to comment beyond referring to Apple’s EU statutory warranty page on its website," Bloomberg wrote. "According to that, EU consumer law covers defects in the product at the time of delivery, while Apple’s one-year limited warranty and the AppleCare protection plan cover defects arising after the buyer gets the device."

Why is the "misleading" word quoted? Is the Italian fine in dispute/appeal?

No, it isn't. Best to remember what website you're on.

No doubt someone will be along with anti-european clap trap soon enough.

Quite why any American would defend a Chinese manufacturing company with dubious history of treating it's employees is beyond me.

As an American I would first like to say I only wish that a similar two-year manufacturer warranty would be mandated here. As a matter of fact, the EU courts seem to have a knack for *actual* justice and proper legal rulings which protect the consumers' rights....perhaps you can send some people over here to fix ours? (Please send a lot of people because I fear this system is very broken).

"According to that, EU consumer law covers defects in the product at the time of delivery, while Apple’s one-year limited warranty and the AppleCare protection plan cover defects arising after the buyer gets the device."

"According to that, EU consumer law covers defects in the product at the time of delivery, while Apple’s one-year limited warranty and the AppleCare protection plan cover defects arising after the buyer gets the device."

Yeah, so does the EU consumer law, for 2 years.

If you have, say a harddrive, which fails after 18 months, the consumer is protected because harddrives ought to last more than 18 months, thus the defect was present at delivery even if it didn't show itself till 18 months later.

"According to that, EU consumer law covers defects in the product at the time of delivery, while Apple’s one-year limited warranty and the AppleCare protection plan cover defects arising after the buyer gets the device."

Yeah, so does the EU consumer law, for 2 years.

If you have, say a harddrive, which fails after 18 months, the consumer is protected because harddrives ought to last more than 18 months, thus the defect was present at delivery even if it didn't show itself till 18 months later.

Never agreed with the EU picking on Microsoft on its browser choice issues in Windows 7 and not doing equal against Apple and Safari in OS X? To me that was biased legal action and favored Apple. But this action against Apple makes sense as Apple I know hopes to sell Apple Care for a added costs and why would Apple want to acknowledge that in the EU their is a standard two year agreement with a warranty? To me this screams Apple taking advantage of consumers and misinforms the public of the warranties. What Apple is afraid of now is the countless number of EU consumers who bought Apple care not knowing they already had much of that warranty already for free! But of course we seem to keep ignoring how Apple's business model is not so noble and consumer friendly as it has been made out to be. Apple to me is greedy and concerned only with profits and its investors.I don't believe for a minute Apple does anything like advertise warranties incorrectly by mistake. Apple is brilliant in marketing and they don't make mistakes like this.

Why is the "misleading" word quoted? Is the Italian fine in dispute/appeal?

No, it isn't. Best to remember what website you're on.

No doubt someone will be along with anti-european clap trap soon enough.

Quite why any American would defend a Chinese manufacturing company with dubious history of treating it's employees is beyond me.

As an American I would first like to say I only wish that a similar two-year manufacturer warranty would be mandated here. As a matter of fact, the EU courts seem to have a knack for *actual* justice and proper legal rulings which protect the consumers' rights....perhaps you can send some people over here to fix ours? (Please send a lot of people because I fear this system is very broken).

I totally agree that we have some refurbished laptops being sold with 90 day warranties in the US. That is outrageous as many probably were just returns and re boxed and shipped out. For me I think 1 year is efficient for 90 % of the defects that will show up within that time. After that other factors can affect longevity of electronics from abuse, electrical surges and other non defect issues. The EU certainly has a very good program that goes far in protecting its consumers.

Why is the "misleading" word quoted? Is the Italian fine in dispute/appeal?

No, it isn't. Best to remember what website you're on.

No doubt someone will be along with anti-european clap trap soon enough.

Quite why any American would defend a Chinese manufacturing company with dubious history of treating it's employees is beyond me.

As an American I would first like to say I only wish that a similar two-year manufacturer warranty would be mandated here. As a matter of fact, the EU courts seem to have a knack for *actual* justice and proper legal rulings which protect the consumers' rights....perhaps you can send some people over here to fix ours? (Please send a lot of people because I fear this system is very broken).

I totally agree that we have some refurbished laptops being sold with 90 day warranties in the US. That is outrageous as many probably were just returns and re boxed and shipped out. For me I think 1 year is efficient for 90 % of the defects that will show up within that time. After that other factors can affect longevity of electronics from abuse, electrical surges and other non defect issues. The EU certainly has a very good program that goes far in protecting its consumers.

And that's why I won't take a chance with any open box stuff like that.

Great that they finally zoom in on that. In my experience so far, apple has always acknowledged the 2 years warranty if you bring it up yourself when needed. But nowhere in any wording have I ever seen any reference to the mandatory 2 year consumer protection. Apple is not forced to advertise the 2 year warranty. They can stay mute on the topic. But while promoting apple care, they always mention clearly their "standard 1 year" warranty. Sure feels like misleading to me. I hope a closer look from EU authoroties can clear up this confusing situation.The best outcome of this case shouldn't be some huge fine, but Apple adjusting its business wording to the local market and be clear about a standard 2 year warranty.

Never agreed with the EU picking on Microsoft on its browser choice issues in Windows 7 and not doing equal against Apple and Safari in OS X? To me that was biased legal action and favored Apple. But this action against Apple makes sense as Apple I know hopes to sell Apple Care for a added costs and why would Apple want to acknowledge that in the EU their is a standard two year agreement with a warranty? To me this screams Apple taking advantage of consumers and misinforms the public of the warranties. What Apple is afraid of now is the countless number of EU consumers who bought Apple care not knowing they already had much of that warranty already for free! But of course we seem to keep ignoring how Apple's business model is not so noble and consumer friendly as it has been made out to be. Apple to me is greedy and concerned only with profits and its investors.I don't believe for a minute Apple does anything like advertise warranties incorrectly by mistake. Apple is brilliant in marketing and they don't make mistakes like this.

EU consumer protection is pretty strong, and in fact much stronger than most people think.

In theory the seller is responsible for all costs involved in returning faulty products, including postage and even uninstallation of fixtures that break under guarantee. Any goods replaced under this law get the two year period reset as well.

Apple's one year thing seems to break the law as I remember reading that the manufacturer's guarantee can exceed the two year minimum (as Sony did with Bravia TVs a few years' ago) but cannot be less.

Apple's page does seem deliberately obtuse for what is a pretty straight-forward law.

Never agreed with the EU picking on Microsoft on its browser choice issues in Windows 7 and not doing equal against Apple and Safari in OS X? To me that was biased legal action and favored Apple. But this action against Apple makes sense as Apple I know hopes to sell Apple Care for a added costs and why would Apple want to acknowledge that in the EU their is a standard two year agreement with a warranty? To me this screams Apple taking advantage of consumers and misinforms the public of the warranties. What Apple is afraid of now is the countless number of EU consumers who bought Apple care not knowing they already had much of that warranty already for free! But of course we seem to keep ignoring how Apple's business model is not so noble and consumer friendly as it has been made out to be. Apple to me is greedy and concerned only with profits and its investors.I don't believe for a minute Apple does anything like advertise warranties incorrectly by mistake. Apple is brilliant in marketing and they don't make mistakes like this.

Apple doesn't have a PC monopoly...

EU law should obviously be followed in the EU

You're running with his first paragraph and ignoring everything else he said. All he's saying was he thought another example was unfair..... AND THEN relates how he/she thinks THIS particular action IS logical and sensible. Maybe if you weren't so quick to jump and defend Apple, you'd have read the rest and understood his point? Or maybe if you weren't cherry-picking the argument and trying to spin it away?

The heart of it is this: "I don't believe for a minute Apple does anything like advertise warranties incorrectly by mistake. Apple is brilliant in marketing and they don't make mistakes like this"

I don't believe it was a mistake either. I believe this was a calculated move by Apple to take advantage of something not obvious to people. Unless their marketing machine is really not that smart....which it might not be considering those commericals they pulled not too long ago.

Great that they finally zoom in on that. In my experience so far, apple has always acknowledged the 2 years warranty if you bring it up yourself when needed. But nowhere in any wording have I ever seen any reference to the mandatory 2 year consumer protection. Apple is not forced to advertise the 2 year warranty. They can stay mute on the topic. But while promoting apple care, they always mention clearly their "standard 1 year" warranty. Sure feels like misleading to me. I hope a closer look from EU authoroties can clear up this confusing situation.

When you purchase Apple products, European Union consumer law provides statutory warranty rights in addition to the coverage you receive from the Apple One-Year Limited Warranty and the optional AppleCare Protection Plan. Non-Apple-branded products purchased from Apple are also eligible for coverage under EU consumer law.

I don't believe it was a mistake either. I believe this was a calculated move by Apple to take advantage of something not obvious to people. Unless their marketing machine is really not that smart....which it might not be considering those commericals they pulled not too long ago.

Of course it's deliberate just like overcharging for the Apple Care itself.

Great that they finally zoom in on that. In my experience so far, apple has always acknowledged the 2 years warranty if you bring it up yourself when needed. But nowhere in any wording have I ever seen any reference to the mandatory 2 year consumer protection. Apple is not forced to advertise the 2 year warranty. They can stay mute on the topic. But while promoting apple care, they always mention clearly their "standard 1 year" warranty. Sure feels like misleading to me. I hope a closer look from EU authoroties can clear up this confusing situation.

http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/When you purchase Apple products, European Union consumer law provides statutory warranty rights in addition to the coverage you receive from the Apple One-Year Limited Warranty and the optional AppleCare Protection Plan. Non-Apple-branded products purchased from Apple are also eligible for coverage under EU consumer law.Summary of EU Statutory Warranty, the Apple One-Year Limited Warranty and the AppleCare Protection Plan

Apple's mentioning of the warranty seems to have changed since the last time I bought on their website (not that long ago).The EU warranty is now indeed mentioned, not only in the support section, but also in the store during the buying process.It's a huge improvement over what they did previously: keeping it silent but respecting it when challenged by it.

Plumpaquatsch wrote:

And while you're at it, show me 3 companies that even mention the EU warranty on their webpage. I'll make it easier for you: Dell sure as hell doesn't. Nor does Samsung.

That is in itself irrelevant and is no excuse. I had no clue how Dell or Samsung treat those warranties as I have no shopping experience from their web sites. But I must say that mentioning the 2 year warranty isn't that uncommon either. I do recall having seen it both online as in physical stores before. I can't give you statistics though

Imho The EU regulation does not go far enough. It is a noble attempt to protect consumers, but is implemented as a seller's warranty (not manufacturer's) for defects that were present during the sale (but might not have been noticeable yet).I see 2 issues with it: The defect existing at sale but not noticeable yet is a tough criterium and easily leads to discussions. And instead of placing the responsibility for it with the seller, it would have been cleaner to have a mandatory 2 year manufacturers warranty (only for goods with an expected lifetime above it off course).

Never agreed with the EU picking on Microsoft on its browser choice issues in Windows 7 and not doing equal against Apple and Safari in OS X? To me that was biased legal action and favored Apple. But this action against Apple makes sense as Apple I know hopes to sell Apple Care for a added costs and why would Apple want to acknowledge that in the EU their is a standard two year agreement with a warranty? To me this screams Apple taking advantage of consumers and misinforms the public of the warranties. What Apple is afraid of now is the countless number of EU consumers who bought Apple care not knowing they already had much of that warranty already for free! But of course we seem to keep ignoring how Apple's business model is not so noble and consumer friendly as it has been made out to be. Apple to me is greedy and concerned only with profits and its investors.I don't believe for a minute Apple does anything like advertise warranties incorrectly by mistake. Apple is brilliant in marketing and they don't make mistakes like this.

Apple doesn't have a PC monopoly...

EU law should obviously be followed in the EU

You're running with his first paragraph and ignoring everything else he said. All he's saying was he thought another example was unfair..... AND THEN relates how he/she thinks THIS particular action IS logical and sensible. Maybe if you weren't so quick to jump and defend Apple, you'd have read the rest and understood his point? Or maybe if you weren't cherry-picking the argument and trying to spin it away?

The heart of it is this: "I don't believe for a minute Apple does anything like advertise warranties incorrectly by mistake. Apple is brilliant in marketing and they don't make mistakes like this"

I don't believe it was a mistake either. I believe this was a calculated move by Apple to take advantage of something not obvious to people. Unless their marketing machine is really not that smart....which it might not be considering those commericals they pulled not too long ago.

I see 2 issues with it: The defect existing at sale but not noticeable yet is a tough criterium and easily leads to discussions. And instead of placing the responsibility for it with the seller, it would have been cleaner to have a mandatory 2 year manufacturers warranty (only for goods with an expected lifetime above it off course).

Actually the first problem isn't that bad, because there's some important additional point: If there's a failure in a product that is generally expected to work much longer, it is assumed that the product was faulty from the start. Example: You can assume that a HDD should work longer than 6 months, so if it fails after only 9 months without tampering by the customer, it is assumed that the HDD was already faulty when it was sold.

The second point is probably there for legal reasons: The manufacturer isn't the person selling the product in the EU (not even importing it necessarily), maybe doesn't even have a European representation - pretty hard to apply European law under such circumstances, on the other hand all those problems don't apply to the seller.

Yes, Apple is in the wrong that it says there's only a one-year warranty in the EU. It should be two.

However, AppleCare is more than just an extended warranty - it extends phone support (if you need it) among others, and the mandatory two-year doesn't include that.

Of course, what will probably happen is Apple just rolls half the extra cost of AppleCare into the default warranty and offer a 1 year extension for just over half the cost of AppleCare (since AppleCare takes it from 1 to 3 years plus suppport, if you take half to get it to two years (minus support), and then charge 60% to get you from 2 to 3 years (with full support)...

What - you think any company will offer an extended warranty for free? It'll just be rolled in, and the next time prices get announced, we'll get the usual howl of people saying EU people are ripped off - no they're not - when you count sales taxes built into the price (plus import taxes), extended warranties (to meet the required 2-year mandatory warranty). In fact, Apple products seem to be the most "fair" in that respect - with sales and import taxes having to be built into the price (it's not charged at the cashier like in North America), plus soon half of AppleCare costs...

Consumer protection laws in the EU are strong, yes. Except don't forget you're also paying for it. When some product comes with a 90 day warranty and Best Buy offers to extend it to two years for 30% of the price.... remember in the EU, that 30% would've been "built in".

Consumer protection laws in the EU are strong, yes. Except don't forget you're also paying for it. When some product comes with a 90 day warranty and Best Buy offers to extend it to two years for 30% of the price.... remember in the EU, that 30% would've been "built in".

This is not entirely true, and also the reason behind all the fuss here in Italy(nice seeing my country shine for something like this every now and then).

Apple sets prices for their machines. The same price is used on the Apple store online, Apple retail stores, genius bars and so on. And when the same machine is sold by another store (I'll call it Best Buy, even though we don't have it), they usually apply the same price. I'm guessing it's some kind of deal, given that most of these store have an Apple Corner of some sort. But here comes the problem, over which Apple got sued and lost. The iProduct or MacProduct sold to consumers should have a 2 year warranty, 1 from the manufacturer and one from the seller. So, if I buy it from Best Buy, they have to deal with the 2nd year warranty. But if I get it from an Apple Store, then Apple plays as both manufacturer AND seller, having to take care of the second year. Too bad that instead of doing so, Apple had the bad habit of refusing to cover the second year, pushing customers to buy the Apple Care.Therefore you can see how the "extra price" was already built in, but only Best Buy used it to do what it was meant for.

Plumpaquatsch wrote:

And while you're at it, show me 3 companies that even mention the EU warranty on their webpage. I'll make it easier for you: Dell sure as hell doesn't. Nor does Samsung.

I can't, but I can say that if memory serves me well, Apple is one of the few manufacturers that still sells products with a one-year-long warranty. It's ridiculous, and the whole Apple Care situation is even worse. They sell top notch and high quality products, or so they say, but don't have the guts to put out a real warranty. And I am a Mac user, so no Microsoft Fan Boy here. But after two MacBooks, 3 batteries, 2 logic boards and many other small and large issues in the last 5 years, I don't think my next laptop will be Apple anymore.

Great that they finally zoom in on that. In my experience so far, apple has always acknowledged the 2 years warranty if you bring it up yourself when needed. But nowhere in any wording have I ever seen any reference to the mandatory 2 year consumer protection. Apple is not forced to advertise the 2 year warranty. They can stay mute on the topic. But while promoting apple care, they always mention clearly their "standard 1 year" warranty. Sure feels like misleading to me. I hope a closer look from EU authoroties can clear up this confusing situation.The best outcome of this case shouldn't be some huge fine, but Apple adjusting its business wording to the local market and be clear about a standard 2 year warranty.

The way this is handled in US is a vague tagline in the warranty.In the US edition of their online warranty text is the following

Quote:

FOR CONSUMERS IN JURISDICTIONS WHO HAVE THE BENEFIT OF CONSUMERPROTECTION LAWS OR REGULATIONS, THE BENEFITS CONFERRED BY THEABOVE MENTIONED PLANS ARE IN ADDITION TO ALL RIGHTS AND REMEDIESPROVIDED UNDER SUCH LAWS AND REGULATIONS. NOTHING IN THIS PLANSHALL PREJUDICE CONSUMER RIGHTS GRANTED BY APPLICABLE MANDATORYLAWS, INCLUDING CONSUMER’S RIGHT TO THE REMEDIES UNDER STATUTORYWARRANTY LAW AND TO SEEK DAMAGES IN THE EVENT OF TOTAL ORPARTIAL NON-PERFORMANCE OR INADEQUATE PERFORMANCE BY APPLE OFANY OF ITS CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS.

If there is a similar disclaimer in the EU editions of the warranty, then Apple is legally covered when they claim that it is up to the customer to be aware of EU consumer law.On the AppleCare webpage they have the following important notice

Quote:

Important notes

The AppleCare Protection Plan can be purchased only while your iPod or Apple TV is still covered under the standard one-year limited warranty. See AppleCare Protection Plan Terms and Conditions for complete product details.

For more information, read frequently asked questions.

So even though the equipment has a 2yr mandated warranty in the EU, Apple can still get away with telling customers that they cannot get AppleCare unless they ignore the extra year granted by law.

The notice of extra rights or protection based on local/regional laws is standard in US & Canada to avoid the need for customized warranties published for customers in locations that mandate additional protections.

I expect Apple will still get nailed for not disclosing the EU warranty rights since it is definitely not a local exception for electronics sold anywhere in the EU. If they insist that their warranty is standard for all of Europe including non-EU countries, then they will need to explain why their EU stores do not disclose the real warranty and enforce the 1yr from purchase limit on AppleCare when it is supposed to be a paid extension of the default warranty. Given the EU wide law, AppleCare for EU should be available up to 2 years after purchase and should reflect the 2yr minimum when calculating the coverage period.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out as Steve Jobs is no longer around to explain why Apple is right and the EU just needs to correct their understanding to conform with Apple's rules.

If You care to spend some time reading it, You fill find that statement in article "But EU rules state that customers are entitled to a two-year manufacturer warranty by default" is incorrect.

As it stated in earlier comments, EU guarantee is part of sales agreement. It's between final seller (usually retailer) and buyer (consumer only). Consumer have to deal with final seller regarding guarantee issues and has no right to claim anything from manufacturer or from somebody down the supply-chain - this right is explicitly reserved to final seller. In this case Apple = Apple retail operations, not Apple manufacturer. In EU countries where Apple don't have retail presence there is nothing to look for. Apple may run ads in these countries, but guarantee is provided by actual seller, not Apple.

And for those who think that EU consumer protection is somehow superior to US (2 years vs 1 year):"....The seller is liable to the consumer for any lack of conformity which exists when the goods are delivered to the consumer and which arises within a period of two years from delivery.... Any lack of conformity becoming apparent within six months of delivery will be presumed to have existed at the time of delivery,...."

In legalese this means that after six months consumer must prove that lack of conformity existed when goods were delivered. This actually reduces worry-free consumer protection to 6 months.

And EU attitude.... As mentioned in earlier comments, nobody in industry states consumers rights in "correct way". Instead of launching industry-wide investigation to improve situation for all consumers EU targets one brand.

So even though the equipment has a 2yr mandated warranty in the EU, Apple can still get away with telling customers that they cannot get AppleCare unless they ignore the extra year granted by law.

No, they cant. In EU you cannot sign away rights, even voluntarily. Law is law. Period.Any term or condition which break the law in any way is simply dropped. The rest of the contract is still valid. Any losses due to this is forced upon the seller as he or she is the professional part and should know better than to make unlawful contracts.

So a contract that would say: - "You get this item without paying any money, if you sign away this lawful right"... would in effect be:- "You get this item without paying any money." as you cannot sign away any right granted by law

As an American I would first like to say I only wish that a similar two-year manufacturer warranty would be mandated here. As a matter of fact, the EU courts seem to have a knack for *actual* justice and proper legal rulings which protect the consumers' rights....

In Norway, we have extended that even further:- All goods have two year manufacturer warranty.- Any goods that one would reasonably expect to last more than two years, are covered for five years.

This more or less means anything more advance than a vegetable is covered for five years, by law.Legal predence has a very low bar of what is considered to be "expected to last for more than two years", so this basically means anything more advanced than a vegetable is covered for five years.

When I purchased my macbook air over the phone, the Apple salesperson based in the US clearly lied to me, despite my being firm that laptops bought with a student discount were eligible for the full 3 years warranty. The rep said he was sure it didnt so I bought the Applecare for 3 years.

Now I know for sure, the 3 years does exist, and the 2 years is mandatory. So an investigation is a good thing here. As the warranty isn't just the omission of a paragraph in a wordy document. Their sales people are clearly trained to lie and mislead about warranties in order to sell Applecare and earn a commission.

Apple's page does seem deliberately obtuse for what is a pretty straight-forward law.

It seems clear to me.

* You get 2 years protection from manufacturing defects via the store where you purchased the product.* You get 1 year protection from almost any problem at all (excluding neglect) available from any authorised apple technician in the world.* You can pay to extend the latter to 3 years, and add free tech support

And people in the EU wonder why the same product costs more for them than in the US. If you're going to mandate that a company provide longer warranty, expect a price increase.

It only increases the price if companies are producing shoddy goods that will fail within 2 years. Is Apple really that crap?

I think you're both wrong here. But hey, you're just dudes on the internet, so what would I care Apple products (and not only them, almost all US products/content) costs more in the EU because they can pull it off.And sure it would increase prices somehow by extending a default warranty. Maybe not much, but the cost of a warranty to a company is likely not calculated by throwing a hat and see where it lands. It would rather be calculated by an x percentile that is expected to break within period n. Extend the period, and off course that percentage x raises as well. Has nothing to do with products being crap or not. In my personal experience Apple's products are not crap at all (except for the batteries of the old MBPros. Suffered a lot with those).

Great that they finally zoom in on that. In my experience so far, apple has always acknowledged the 2 years warranty if you bring it up yourself when needed. But nowhere in any wording have I ever seen any reference to the mandatory 2 year consumer protection. Apple is not forced to advertise the 2 year warranty. They can stay mute on the topic. But while promoting apple care, they always mention clearly their "standard 1 year" warranty. Sure feels like misleading to me. I hope a closer look from EU authoroties can clear up this confusing situation.

Apple's mentioning of the warranty seems to have changed since the last time I bought on their website (not that long ago).The EU warranty is now indeed mentioned, not only in the support section, but also in the store during the buying process.It's a huge improvement over what they did previously: keeping it silent but respecting it when challenged by it.

So why further press the issue?

Fristie Blade wrote:

Plumpaquatsch wrote:

And while you're at it, show me 3 companies that even mention the EU warranty on their webpage. I'll make it easier for you: Dell sure as hell doesn't. Nor does Samsung.

That is in itself irrelevant and is no excuse. I had no clue how Dell or Samsung treat those warranties as I have no shopping experience from their web sites.

It merely shows that again Apple is the only one being attacked for something while actually being better than most others.

The real solution would be for Apple to finally change the warranty extensions to include the accidental damage coverage like in the US (and not just in the EU for that matter). Then there would be no doubt that what is being offered at additional cost is clearly better than what the EU offers "for free".